Strawberries and Fresh Whipped Cream

Strawberries and whipped cream has to be one of the most underrated desserts! So simple, fresh, light and easy to whip together. I bought some strawberries from the local grocery store last week and they are sweeter than candy. Ripe and ruby red, so delicious. I whipped some heavy cream with a bit of powdered sugar and vanilla and dolloped it on top of freshly sliced strawberries. So good!

Whipped Cream

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 T sugar

1/2 tspn. vanilla extract

Beat the heavy cream until it starts to thicken. Add the sugar followed by the vanilla and beat until soft peaks form. Do not over beat, or the cream will break and you'll get butter! Which isn't bad, but not with our berries. Dollop over fresh cut strawberries, just before serving. Indulgent!

Sofrito Revisted

In Puerto Rican cooking Sofrito is a pureed blend of peppers, onions, and garlic. It is used to season just about any dish you cook. I make enough sofrito to last me a few weeks and keep it in the refrigerator because I go through it so quickly, but it can be portioned in ice cube trays and kept in the freezer until you need it. It's a delicious base flavor for spanish rice, soups, Carne Guisado (beef stew), black beans. You name it! It comes together very quickly and saves you the hassle of dicing onions and peppers for every dish you make. Don't even think about the jarred stuff in the ethnic aisle of the grocery store. Try it, you'll love it!

Sofrito

1 large green pepper

1 aneheim chili pepper

1 bunch culantro

1 bunch cilantro

1 head of garlic (about 12 cloves)

1 large yellow onion

Olive oil

If you cannot find culantro just substitute with a bunch of cilantro, making two bunches total for this recipe.

Cut everything in pieces small enough for your food processor or blender to puree. Add just enough olive oil to keep the blender moving. Puree until smooth and store in a jar in the fridge, or freeze in smaller portions until ready to use.

Brickle! Salty, Chocolatey, Toffee! Yum!

This confection is the most sinful combination of salty and sweet! A salty crunch with the snap of the sweet golden toffee and a melt in your mouth oh so smooth chocolate layer, you'll be reaching for more... and more... and more!

Brickle is very easy to make and will keep in your fridge for quite some time. It can be made on a cookie sheet OR if you can find a square shaped "muffin" pan, you can use that for individual servings. Either works perfectly and is a matter of preference. You may use any chocolate that you prefer. The toffee is rather sweet, so I like using a semi sweet chocolate.

Brickle
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tspn. baking soda
soda crackers
1 package semi sweet, bitter sweet or milk chocolate chips

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare your baking sheet by lining with parchment. Lay a single layer of soda crackers and set aside. Combine the butter, sugar, and baking soda in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until the butter melts. The mixture will foam up. Stir constantly until the foam subsides. Pour the toffee over the crackers making sure to cover each one entirely. Bake for ten minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and sprinkle chocolate evenly over all the crackers. Let the chocolate harden slightly and place in the refrigerator to set. Break apart and store in an airtight container. Sprinkle the chocolate while still warm with any assortment of toppings such as chopped nuts for an added tecture and taste!
Yum!

Flan de Queso (Cream Cheese Flan)

This is the most delicious, decadent, and simple dessert to make! Flan de Queso is a cream cheese flan which is much creamier than the traditional flan. My dad, who claims he doesn't have much of a sweet tooth will go back to the fridge several times cutting another slice and yet another! For many people it reminds them of cheesecake and is much easier to make. The custard is cooked in a bano de maria (ban marie) which seems intimidating to many people, but is simply pouring hot water into a larger dish that the custard is baked in.




Flan de Queso

1 8 oz. block cream cheese
6 eggs
1 T vanilla extract
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
1 cup sugar

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.


Start by bringing all of your ingredients to room temperature. Pour one cup of sugar in a small saucepan and put it over low heat watching it carefully until it melts and turns golden. This can be the most tricky part of the recipe, but as long as you use a little patience and avoid turning up the heat, you should be fine. Pour the melted sugar in the bottom of a 9 inch glass pie dish and immediately swirl to coat the bottom. The sugar will harded rather quickly. Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add one egg at a time, mixing just until combined, followed by the vanilla. Add the condensed milk and lastly the evaporated. Pour the custard into the dish and cover with foil. Place the dish in a larger roasting pan with enough room for the water to make contact with the entire dish. I place the pan in the oven and then pour the water in, about half the way up. Bake about 50 minutes, although most recipes call for more than an hour of baking. Test the flan with a knife and pull out of the water bath when done, otherwise it will continue to cook.
Chill several hours, preferably overnight. When ready to serve run a knife around the edge of the flan and place a plate over the top and flip. Let the caramel drip down the sides of the flan and serve!
Que Rico!!

Garlic Germ?

A quick and simple solution can bring all your dreams of garlicky goodness back!

If you have a problem digesting garlic this could be the reason why! The center core of the garlic is known as the germ. When garlic is very fresh and young, the center germ is much more tender and less bitter than when it ages. Most people shopping in stores aren't getting garlic at its very best and the germ has begun to turn a bit green and takes on a bitter taste, which is also very difficult to digest.
To eliminate this problem simply slice the clove in half using a pairing knife and pull it away and peel it out. You can see in the photo above that the core comes out in one piece and can be pulled away! I did this when cooking for a boss of mine that complained of this very thing . . . . and it made a big difference! Try it out!

Caldo Gallego (White bean and chorizo soup!)

My family and I took a trip to Puerto Rico this past June. My father was born and raised there, and much of his family still lives there. We had an awesome time doing everything from zip lining to kayaking the bio luminescent bay! Although everyone else might have found these to be the best parts of the trip, mine was being in the kitchen with my Tia Viriginia. She is by far one of the best cooks. The night we were leaving for the airport we went to her house to say goodbye and have dinner. She made this delicious and very simple soup. The dish originated in Spain and made it's way to Puerto Rico along with all the other Spanish influence. This soup will easily become one of your Fall favorites! Que Rico!!

Caldo Gallego

1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
black pepper, to taste
1/4 tspn. oregano, dried
3-4 spanish chorizo (not fresh mexican!), cut in half moons
1 packet sazon sin achiote
1/2 8 oz. can spanish style tomato sauce
2 russet potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes
2 cans Goya brand small white beans
1/4 uncooked white rice, rinsed well!
8 cups LOW SODIUM broth
turnip or collard greens, optional, chopped small
fresh cilantro, chopped

Start by heating a small amount of oil in a soup pot. Add diced yellow onion. Cook 3-5 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Cut the chorizo in half moons and add to the pot. Add the bay leaves, sazon, tomato sauce and the rest of the seasoning. Cook until frangrant. Add the broth and greens if you are using and bring to a boil. Once the broth has come to a boil, reduce to a simmer and add the potatoes, and the white beans. Cook about 15 minutes and then add the rice. Cook until the potatoes and beans are tender and the rice is cooked completely. Toward the last few minutes of cooking add the fresh cilantro. Do not add more than a 1/4 cup rice as it will soak up too much of the broth. Once the soup is done cooking taste for salt. I don't add any additional salt because the chorizo, sazon, and tomato already have enough.

Potato and Green Bean Salad

I am not a fan of the traditional "American Potato Salad" drowning in mayo. Just like my green salads, I love a good vinaigrette more than the a creamy dressing. This is a fresh, delicious and easy recipe that is perfect for any occasion or time of year. I added blanched green beans for color, crunch, and just because my family loves them! Give it a try, if you love a good potato salad and a delicious vinaigrette, you won't be disappointed!!

Potato and Green Bean Salad

2 lbs. red potatoes (yukon, blue, or fingerling too)
1/2 lb. green beans, stem removed and cut in 1 inch pieces
1 shallot
2 cloves garlic
scallion if desired
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1-2 T dijon mustard
salt
pepper
2 T fresh chopped parsley

Slice the potatoes into 1/2 inch rounds and put in a pot of cool water. Bring the water to a boil, adding salt, and cook until the potatoes are just tender. About three minutes before you will drain the potatoes, add the green beans. They will blanch in the potato water in that short time.

While the potatoes are cooking, saute the shallot and garlic until tender and fragrant. I don't like raw onion in my food, if you don't mind it, you can skip this and just add it raw.

Assemble your vinaigrette by mixing the dijon, salt and pepper, and vinager together. Whisk in the olive oil in a thin stream until combined. Mason jars are a great tool for this too!

Once the potatoes are cooked, drain, and immediately add to your serving bowl with the shallot and garlic, while everything is still hot, pour your vinaigrette over, sprinkle with the parsley and toss gently to coat all the vegetables. Garnish with lots of scallions! Yum!